Mahmoud Riad (; January 8, 1917 – January 25, 1992) was an Egyptian diplomat. He was Egyptian ambassador to

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

from 1962 to 1964, Egyptian

Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

from 1964 to 1972, and Secretary-General of the League of Arab States from 1972 to 1979. An army officer turned diplomat, Riad was considered an expert on Arab affairs. After fighting in the

1948 Arab–Israeli War The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, also known as the First Arab–Israeli War, followed the 1947–1948 civil war in Mandatory Palestine, civil war in Mandatory Palestine as the second and final stage of the 1948 Palestine war. The civil war becam ...

, he was a member of the Egyptian delegation that signed the 1949 armistice with

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. Following nine years of service in the army, Riad joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1952 and quickly climbed through the diplomatic ranks. He became Ambassador to

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

in 1955 and Permanent Representative to the

in 1962. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1964 to 1972. In 1967, Riad worked with his colleague and friend, Ambassador Charles W. Yost, in an effort to find a solution before the outbreak of war. He was elected Secretary General of the League of Arab States in 1972, succeeding Abdul Khalek Hassouna, also an Egyptian. Riad relinquished the League of Arab States post in 1979 at the height of a crisis caused by Egypt's signing a peace treaty with Israel. Most Arab countries broke relations with

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

over the treaty, and league headquarters were moved from

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

. The headquarters returned to

in 1990 after treaty opponents reconciled with

and resumed diplomatic ties. He is the author of three books. His most prominent book titled "The Struggle for Peace in the Middle East" was translated to English and published in London, England 1982 ().

Honour

Foreign honour

* Malaysia: ** Honorary Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (PMN (K)) - Tan Sri (1965)

Notes and references

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Riad, Mahmoud 1917 births 1992 deaths Ambassadors of Egypt to Syria Permanent representatives of Egypt to the United Nations Secretaries general of the Arab League Ministers of foreign affairs of Egypt Honorary commanders of the Order of the Defender of the Realm 20th-century Egyptian diplomats